Jazz review: Jon Hassell: Last Night the Moon Came Dropping Its Clothes in the Street

Trumpeter Jon Hassell's latest "Fourth World" album - the term is one he coined himself to define his musical style - brings him back to the ECM label after a 25-year gap. He performs with his Maarifa Street ensemble, whose fluctuating lineup includes bassist and co-producer Peter Freeman, Was (Not Was) keyboardist Jamie Muhoberac and Norwegian guitar hero Eivind Aarset. The elliptical title, taken from a 13th-century poem by Rumi, gives warning that this is no ordinary listening experience. It's an album that slips under the radar of conventional listening: not jazz, though it's largely improvised; easy to absorb, yet not at all dumbed down. You can lose yourself in the leisurely (but never static) title track: it's the acceptable face of ambience. A version of this band played during last November's London jazz festival, in sessions based on the Norwegian Punkt events. In performance, the music seemed inward, reserved, almost soporific. On record, subtly mixed, the tracks recorded there sound quite magical.